A geopolitics in transformation

From a geopolitical standpoint, we are witnessing the end of the Western-dominated international order, as well as the transition to a fragmented, multipolar, and conflictual world where raw power, whether military or economic, overrides the rules and international institutions that have been in place since the end of World War II.

These transformations result in an increase in tension spots, from the war in Ukraine to the rivalries between the United States and China, as well as crises in the Middle East with strategic points like the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, which concentrate major energy and military interests.

We all studied history and geography in high school, but the world has changed so rapidly that those who were educated in the 1980s or before learned about an international order that no longer exists.

From the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 to the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the 9/11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis, and the war Russia has waged against Ukraine since 2014, geopolitical references have shifted significantly.

It’s complex, but to simplify, the comic book “The War of the Neighbors” (Dargaud, 2025) by Mikko uses the analogy of a building where all the countries of the world are located, with continents becoming floors and conflicts turning into neighborhood disputes.

The new complexities of the world are explained as if the planet were a massive condominium where each country is a unit, and the assembly of unit owners becomes the United Nations Assembly.

The proposal may elicit smiles, and humor plays a significant role in the album – especially through the use of clichés and stereotypes, sparing no one, not even Canada – but it effectively simplifies contemporary issues in international politics.

Through the comic book, diverse issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tensions between India and Pakistan, the Russian war in Ukraine, climate change, the influence of social networks, mechanisms of the international economy, and cultural wars are addressed in a didactic and humorous manner.

The building analogy is helpful in simplifying world issues.

The planet’s environmental challenges are thus likened to waste management, overheated units, and water damage within the building.

What’s also interesting is that the album rightfully emphasizes that today’s geopolitics cannot be understood without social networks, which have become true global media outlets.

Social networks, and their algorithms, can promote a globalization of populism and the far right.

It’s not just social networks but also the major tech companies, whose size, influence, and economic clout surpass that of many countries.

While we’ve heard a lot about GAFAM (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft) in the US, in China, there are BATX (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi) with significant influence, not to mention NVIDIA, a key player in artificial intelligence and now among the largest market capitalizations globally.

How do we explain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from a historical perspective dating back to Roman times to recent proposals regarding Gaza, including those associated with Donald Trump envisioning Gaza as a sort of “Riviera of the Middle East,” a tourist area with luxury hotels?

How do we explain the use of artificial intelligence to transform images of authoritarian leaders – by themselves! – into Christ-like figures or animalistic caricatures of their adversaries?

Perhaps humor and comics allow for a better understanding of the upheavals in recent years, from the geopolitical power of tech giants to the rise of populism, which remains complex.

Comics and humor sometimes clarify things.